Short Fiction Review: Hunt by Rachel Vincent

It’s been more than four years since Abby Wade survived capture and torture by a quartet of rogue shifters.

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Back then she was a scared kid, just trying to survive.

Now Abby is all grown up, and if she’s learned anything from training with Faythe Sanders, the world’s first female Alpha, it’s that she can take care of herself—and anyone else who comes along. So when her college roommate is abducted from a campsite deep in the Appalachian woods, Abby knows exactly how to get her back…

The rules of the hunt are simple. Kill or be killed.

Abby Wade is not ready to die.

Back then she was a scared kid, just trying to survive.

Now Abby is all grown up, and if she’s learned anything from training with Faythe Sanders, the world’s first female Alpha, it’s that she can take care of herself—and anyone else who comes along. So when her college roommate is abducted from a campsite deep in the Appalachian woods, Abby knows exactly how to get her back…

The rules of the hunt are simple. Kill or be killed.

Abby Wade is not ready to die.

With Hunt, Rachel Vincent introduces fans to her new self-published project: a Shifters spin-off series. The Shifters books were about a young woman named Faythe, a strong and tenacious enforcer for her Pride. While Faythe’s story has concluded, there were other characters in the series that fans wanted to hear from – and so Vincent’s idea for the Wildcats series was born.

Hunt re-introduces us to Abby Wade, college sophomore, political science major, and wild cat Shifter. Abby is unwinding from a stressful term at school on a camping trip with friends when the unthinkable happens: their campsite is attacked and her friends are brutalized while Abby is out hunting in her wild cat form. Desperate to save her best friend Robyn from the same fate she suffered as a teen, Abby hunts her captors through the wilderness of the Appalachians. But what she finds when she catches up to them will change her world forever…

So, full disclosure: I have only read the first book in the Shifters series. I liked it, but it was pretty obvious to me where the love triangle was going to end up and I never got around to finishing the series. But Hunt breathes new life into the Shifter universe, re-introducing characters who may be familiar to long-time Vincent fans but who will also appeal to newbies. Based on what I saw in Hunt, this new series will be completely accessible to newcomers to the Shifters world. In the author’s note accompanying Hunt, Vincent describes the Wildcats series as follows:

The Wildcats books are paranormal romance novels set in the Shifters world. Each will be narrated by a new couple, beginning with Jace and Abby’s book, LION’S SHARE, which introduces a new concept – a Pride made up entirely of strays.

Let’s break that down. A new series of PNR books, each featuring a new couple…meaning no drawn-out romantic angst and no getting tired of one couple’s drama. If you read the Shifters series and felt that it wasn’t for you, I think the Wildcats books will change your tune. It’s been eight years since those books debuted, and Vincent has clearly come into her own as a writer. Tightly written action scenes coupled with a seamless introduction of complex world builing makes for a tantalizing glimpse of Vincent’s honed skills. And since this new Pride is going to be made up entirely of strays, the Wildcats series will undoubtedly further develop the Shifter world and introduce unique political problems over territory and status. The perfect challenge for a poli-sci major like Abby!

I can already tell there’s a lot to love about Abby a protagonist. While she’s still haunted by her own abduction and assault as a teen, Abby has grown into a capable young woman who will stop at nothing to mete out justice. Seeing Abby take her power back and fight for her friends was thrilling and I couldn’t get enough. She’s smart and tenacious, and she’s been trained by one of the best Alphas in the country – who also happens to be a badass lady. The events of Hunt will clearly drive her forward in Lion’s Share, and I for one cannot wait to see her bring the pain on the evil people who’ve been hurting innocents and hunting Shifters.